Former NOPD officer accused of sexual assault and rape of 14-year-old girl facing federal charges

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - A former NOPD officer accused of sexual assault faces federal civil rights charges.

Federal prosecutors say, Rodney Vicknair, 55, committed sexual assault while working as an officer. Last year, a mother sued Vicknair and accused him of raping her 14-year-old daughter.

The NOPD is also listed in the lawsuit alleging failure to follow policy, among other accusations.

In 2020, Vicknair was arrested at his home in St. Tammany Parish after an internal NOPD investigation found he had an inappropriate relationship with a minor.

MORE: Former NOPD officer accused of sexual assault and rape of 14-year-old girl

The lawsuit by the girl’s mother says Vicknair was allegedly dispatched to the victim’s home after the alleged rape in May 2020 when the victim was 14 years old. Vicknair transported the teen to Children’s Hospital for a rape kit.

The lawsuit goes on to accuse Vicknair of “grooming” the girl, and over the course of several months, he allegedly visited the girl several times and accused of sexually assaulting her and raping her at least twice.

Details in the lawsuit also say that other complaints were made by women against the former officer and allege civil rights violations following the alleged rape of the child, including false imprisonment, assault and battery, and several other federal claims.

The FBI New Orleans Field Office and the New Orleans Police Department Public Integrity Bureau investigated the case. Criminal Chief Tracey Knight of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana and Special Litigation Counsel Fara Gold of the Criminal Section of the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division are prosecuting the case.

See a spelling or grammar error in our story? Click Here to report it. Please include the headline.

Copyright 2022 WVUE. All rights reserved.